COVID-19 - Important Underwriting and Business Processing Updates

COVID-19

Important Underwriting and Business Processing Updates

Stay Informed

With the pandemic, many carriers are temporarily adjusting underwriting guidelines. Product features and rates are changing too, as carriers adapt to interest rates, economic conditions and health risks.

Go Digital

Insurance is traditionally a paper-heavy, in-person industry. We’re committed to maintaining relationships through e-Solutions and virtual communication. If that’s not your strength, here are some tutorials to help.

A Messsage from CEO Tim Ash

Ash Brokerage has been in business for almost 50 years. We've seen, met and overcome many challenges and learned one thing is true in uncertain times – partnerships and trust matter. By pulling together, we'll get past this as well.

Premium Payment and Grace Periods

Many carriers are offering clients premium payment and grace period extensions. We created a reference chart by carrier that contains the latest guidelines. As this is a fluid situation, please check back to ensure you have the most up-to-date information. View the current guidelines here.

New Carrier Appointments

As states are closing nonessential businesses, some states can’t process the background checks that insurance carriers need to process new appointments. This does NOT affect existing appointments. If you’re already appointed, you’re all set to write business. If your preferred carrier for the client isn’t one you are appointed with, please contact us so we can work through all available solutions. The latest state information can be found on the NIPR website.

Vendor Services

Scheduling protocols now involve additional questioning regarding the last 14 days specific to recent illness signs/symptoms/exposure or travel. State-mandated closure of non-essential businesses to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus could temporarily halt services in those areas.

Carriers Responding to Foreign National/Foreign Travel

At current we are seeing carriers progressively adopt postpone guidelines on clients residing or traveling to Level 3 travel warning areas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website is a great resource for up to date status of risk assessment levels https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html.

Carriers are not all publishing these guidelines and the risk assessment levels will continue to change impacting any previously published carrier notifications. As your valued partner, we will continue to monitor the stance of our carriers closely. We encourage you to leverage your Ash Brokerage team to help you navigate clients currently or in the future that reside abroad and/or are traveling internationally.

Go Digital

Get Your Underwriting On-Track

Since you won’t be meeting face-to-face with clients, use our Life PreView tool to electronically gather field underwriting information. You email your clients a personalized, secure questionnaire. We get an accurate snapshot of their health history. Your clients get a more accurate quote. It’s a win-win-win.

Accelerate Your Case!

Fluidless, accelerated, express, simplified – no matter the words you use, one thing is certain: faster underwriting makes life easier. But how do you keep track of the programs and know if your clients qualify? We figured it out – so you don’t have to. See how the Fluidless Underwriting Filter works.

WHY GO DIGITAL - WINS FOR CLIENTS AND ADVISORS

Nobody likes filling out 50-page term applications. And now you don't have to. Check out the stats on how you can save 22 days on term cases, with fewer exams and no in-person interactions.

Video Conferencing Software

At a time when staying connected in a virtual environment is needed most, we're pleased to share a short ‘how to’ video series on virtual meeting platforms Zoom and Webex. Please click on a video title below to get started.

For Advisor Use Only

We're glad you're interested in what's going on in the insurance industry! Since a lot of this information is restricted by regulations and compliance, the updates here are intended for use by appropriately licensed independent advisors, insurance professionals and/or registered representatives only.

Don't know what that means? Then this probably isn't the right section for you and you should go back.